The first thing one notices about Saxophone Colossus: A Portrait of Sonny Rollins is, of course, the cover. The album after which this hardcover, coffee-table-style book is named was recorded in 1956—Rollins, at the time, was 25 years old. Yet the black...

We may think we can learn everything we need to know about John Coltrane through his music, but Coltrane on Coltrane teaches us more. Edited by Chris DeVito, one of the authors of 2007’s The John Coltrane Reference , the book collects every known interview...

Will Friedwald has, over the past two decades, emerged as the single most recognized authority on jazz singers. His liner notes have enhanced hundreds of vocal reissues, and his books and newspaper columns are equally perceptive. He’s outspoken, opinionated...